Elastic wheel



ELASTIC WHEEL.

APPLicA-TION FILED FEB.8,1917.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

@936.52 Piws :new

PATENT OFFICE.

l SCHUYLER C. HATFELD, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELASTIC 'WHEEL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

Application filed. February S, 1.917. Serial No. 147,373.

To all 2U/10m. yz' t 'n2 n.1/ con-ocra Be it known that l, Scrrnrnnn C. HAT- rmnn, a citizen ot the United States ot rimerica, residing' in the city of Baltimore, State o'li lilzuyland, have invented certain neu' and useful improvements in Elastic lVhcels, ot which the itollowing is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to an elastic wheel ot the general type. oit that described in my United States Patent No. 1,105,654. Such a Awheel consists ot an outer section and an limer or hub section, the outer section harinp; an outer rim corresponding to the rim ot the ordinary Wheel, spokes, and an inner rim to which the inner ends or' the spokes are attached. Between the outer and inner sections is a pneun'iatic tire or annular pad or a plurality of pads with means tor holding and engagino,` the pad, and the hub section has removable radial flanges or annular plates to engage the outer section permittiiro it to move relatively to the hub section in a radial. plane kbut arresting` any tendency to motion in the direction of the axis. This application describes and claims the AFeatures olf a nerY iorm of. Wheel ot this type. l

ln the sale ot elastic Wheels it Will be necessary to equip vehicles already supplied with Wheels. Even in Wheels of aunit'orm diameter there will. he a consider-able variation in the, diameter of t-he shattor` spindle and hence ot the bearing and more particir larly ot' the moving` or rotary portion ot the hearing. lt is important to the end that any mechanical device be manufactured with a. iail degree oit economy, that the majority ot' the parts shall be interchangeable and one feature ofthe present invention relates to a construction Where this is made possible. In order to bring about this condition the hub section .is made to `include a cylinder or ring larger than any oi .the bearings to which the Wheel will be applied. This is to bemade ot uniform or standard size in all the `Wheels manufactured. To this cylinder the seating rings @for the tire or pad are secured,the.side plates which positionv the parts are also secured to this cylinder and it is provided with one or more internal spacing rings of considerable thickness which. are. secured tothe cylinder. These may be turned out internally to fltthe bearing,Y of the particular Wheel `for Which the elastic wheel is being substituted. If necessary the outer or rotary portion of the nearing' may he removed and anew piece adapted to cooperate with the hubr rinqsupplomented. Thus, it is only necessary to vary the thickness of the spacing rings or, at most, to supply as apart which cannot be standardized a new cylinder or ring to carryfthe outer cups oit the bearing'.

Another feature ot the invention relates to the annular platesby Which the tivo sections ot the Wheel are held in their slidingl relation and arial motionoif one relativeliT to the other prevented, and particularly to the.placido` ot the bolts by which these plates are secured. As these plates are annular in shape and the principal stress which they have to resist is in the direction ot the axis,`

the tendency is. it the bolts are placed parallel to the axis. to strip the threads and loosen the bolts by pulling ott the nuts. However. they have in the pastbeen placed parallel to the axis. ln accordance with 'the present invention the annular plates are provided Wit-h a cylindrical tlangl'e concentric with the axis of the 'wheel and thebolts are passed radially through this flange and through the. standard cylinder referred to near thel ends.

ln the accompanying drawing I have illustrated an elastic Wheel tofvrhich the features ot' my invention are applied.

l `iggure l. is a l?a ninentary section taken on the plane of the diameter illustrating the invention applied to an elastic VWheel hav-- inn' two pneumatic pads side by side.

Figure 2 is a section oi? the same on the line 2, 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary diametrical section oi av modified form having a single padI or tire.

Figure a is a .fragmentary side elevation with the plate removed.

lReferring toV the vdrawings by numerals each of which isused to indicate the same or similar parts in the different figures; the structures shown include an outer Wheel section A, a hub section B, and pneumatic pads 3, 'Il in Figure 1 and 5 in Figure, between the sections.

Of the outer section of the Wheel I have illustrated the inner rim 6 shown in cross section in Figures l and 3 andthe inner portion of one ot the spokes 7. The huh includes Y a cylinder 2, oit standard size enclosing the bearing, etc. Each ot the pads, 3, -1 and 5 as shownis provided with an outer tire bead 8 on its outer circunfiterencej and an inner ltire bead S) on its inner circinn't'erence. The outer beads 8 are secured to the outer section or more properly to the inner riin and the inner'beads to the hub by any suitable means. The 'torni illustrated `will be described. Y

.Referring particularly to the structure shovvn in Figure 1, the inner rim 6 is provided with a removable head '10 at the lett, a stationary double b n 11, at the center and a removable l',- ad at. the right. lfhese aeads preferably have a rabbeted or tongueV 1d placed parallel to the axis at suitable intervals along, the inner rim 6 and passing through the removable beads Mh 12, the central bead 11 and the beads 8 on the tires or pneumatic pads; These bolts serve todraiv the removable beads inward and grip the tire beads so that they areheld tirinly against all tendency to displacement includinp tension applied to the pads by the Weight ot the vehicle when the pads are deflated.

ln the single pad structure shown in llisure 3, the pad is secured tothe inner riin G by rneans ott an integral bead 15 on the rim on one side,A i. e. the lett, ancL ay removable bead 16 on the right similar to the beads 10 and 12 inlligrure 1. held in position by means' ot bolts 1i' parallel to the axis of the wheel and shown Vas threaded at their ends'into the integral head 15.

leterrine'to the torni ot the invention shown in, Figure 1L) the inner tire beads 9 are secured to the hub or more prop rly.` the standard cylinder 2. by means et end hub beads or bead rines 13 and 19 and center hub bead 20. The center hub bead 2() is secured to the pad ring; 2l which encircles and tits the cylinder 2 and the end beads 18 and 19 have a toothed or dove-tailed engagement- 20 with therring 21. To this they are cured by nieans of bolts 22 placed parallel to the axis passing through all three ot the hub beads 18, 19 and 20`and also througlrthe in- Oo... ne

ner tire beads 9. To preventrotation ot thev bead 18 on the hub7 the bead ring 18 is also notchedat 2310 admit the ends oi'i the fixed radial pins 24.

In addition to t-he pins 211, 1 have provided as means for preventing rotationot the ring 2l and the beads 18. 19 and 20 relative-ly to the sleeve 2. tapered radial pins o0 seated in suitable sockets 51 in the huh and Venga@ .ing` notches 52 in the rings 19. To prevent cular groove near the head inivhfnchay screwdriver or other instrument may be inserted to pry them out oit' their sockets.

rlhe cylinder or sleeve 2 is, as has already been stated, oiu unit'orni or standard dial terQilling or spacing` rings 2'?j of thick, pretl` erably cast inet-al, being supplied to support this cylinder orlsleeve on thebearing` and to this end rings 26 and 2T inay be turned troni Within or otherwise provided of any desired thickness. These rings are secured to the sleeve in any suitable nianner as by rivets.

ln Figure '3 l have shown in connection With the hub a ball-bearing;` k28 with an outer cylinder or sleeve 29 carrying the outer ball races 30. The rings 26 andl and the sleeve 2 are secured to the'sleeveor cylinder 29 and the parts rotate as one.

Both structures show the hub and outer sectionslheld in position as to their ali;u '1- inent by `ineens ot annular'plates C131 secured tothe hub at their inner periphery and bearprovided at their inner With a cyliinlrical flange encircling' the centrali aperture. l his flange is secured, in the case olieaeh respective plate 31, to the ccrresgionding edgeportion el the sleeve or cylinder 2 by ineansoi radial bolts 33 passin;-` tlnrouah registering; apertures inthe tlanpge 32 and in the cylinder near itsl correspondii edge. ln the preferred torraot 'the invention, the plates 31 are inclined as a section oli a cone the base ot which rests on 'the inner riin (l, the portion El, adjacent the circuni4 terence7 being` flat forming` aV he; lg to engage the VHat surface ot the inner. Vini of the outer section.

'flhe iiorrn ot' the invention shown. in Fig ure 3 dilters trom that shown in Figure 1 as to the tastening means by which the inner tire bead 9 is secured to the standard cylinder 2. VIn Figuref'such means consists 'of two notched beads 57 engaging each side oi the tirebead 9 and drawn together by means of bolts parallel to the axis passing; through the two beads 57 and the tire bead 9. These are positioned by means ott two rings or V"circular plates 36 and 37 taking over the sleeve` 2 and notched at 88 Ato engage the notches 39 in thebeads as are the plates being provided With apertures igiiooo registering with those in the plates 31 and in the cylinder 2 through which the bolts pass.

ln operation it will be noted that the principal stresses applied to the plates 31, which, it must be recollected, are annular or circular, are in the direction 'ot the axis so that the stresses on the bolts are transverse or shearing stresses and there is no tendency to strip the' threads so that the bolts oder considerably more resistance than when placed parallel to the axis. Also the inclined plates 31 give the eliect of an arch so that plates of a given weight offer considerably more resistance to any tendency to dis tort them than would be presented if they were of the same weight and flat or substantially flat.

To get at the tires or pneumatic pads in the single tire bead it is only necessary to take out the bolts 33 on one side when the plate 3l is released, the tire immediately becomes accessible and it it is desired toremove it the bolts 17 may be withdrawn and the nuts taken oftl ot the bolts 35 when the outer beads 16 and 34 are `freed, releasing the tire.

In the case of the double pad wheel shown in Figure 1, access may be had to the outer pad on the right in an obvious manner by removing the plate 3l as in Figure 3. To remove the lett hand or inner pad 3, the bolts 33 on one side are withdrawn and the outer section of the wheel with the two pads and the ring 21 with the beads 18, 19 and 20 may be removed by sliding the ring 21 over the sleeve 2, or, it the pads be dellated, they may be released from the outer rim by loos-V ening the bolts 14 and the plates 31, the two pads being freed from the outer section may be removed by sliding the ring 21 over the sleeve 2. Both pads are thus made conveniently accessible under any and all circumstances nf'hereby the use of a plurality of pads in an elastic wheel as described is rendered wholly practical.

he function and operation ot the filler rings 2G and 27 in connection with the standard size cylinder 2 whereby the cylinder is supported ou any bearing which may be enrather than in their limiting sense andthe scope of the invention is defined in the claims: f

1. In an elastic wheel, an outer section having' an inner rim, an inner or hub section having a cylindrical flange, a pneumatic pad between the sections, .means for guiding the sections to permit relative motion in radial directions only, in the forni of two plates, one at each side of the wheel, each having a circular inwardly disposed, radially flat guiding surface at the periphery engaging the corresponding surface of the inner rim, and a central aperture surrounded by a cylindrical flange overlying the hub flange with radial bolts applying a radial tension to said flange and passing through the hub flange and the guide flange securing each said flange to the hub section.

2. In an elastic wheel, an outer section having an inner rim, an inner or hub section having a cylindrical flange, a pneumatic pad between the sections, means for guiding the sections to permit relative motion in radial directions only, in the Jform of two trnsto-conical plates, one at each side ot' the wheel, each having a circular inwardly disposed, radially liat guiding surtace at the periphery engaging the corresponding surface of the inner rim, and a cen-` tral aperture surrounded by a cylindrical guide flange overlying the hub flange with radial bolts supplying radial tension to said guide flange and securing each said ilange to the flange on the hub section.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 31st day of January, 1917.

SCHUYLER C. HATFIELD.

Witnesses ZELLA KUHN, Amon Gr. DoNEGAN. 

